Being Orange in Peach County

Yeah, I know.

2011-03-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

With the advent of Facebook, I haven't been keeping up with my blog. Then again, the only people who ever followed my blog are people who see my status updates every day, anyway.

But let's see. What's happening?

Amelia is a Junior. She's 17, but we haven't managed to get her her drivers license yet. She has a permit, but her behind-the-wheel time thus far does not give me confidence in turning her loose. She continues to participate in drama; she's about to play Aunt Polly in "Tom Sawyer" in our community childrens' theatre.

Jamison is in 2nd grade, and is at the top of his class. He's been playing basketball; he does alright, but I'm not sure it's going to become a lifelong passion. He's also in "Tom Sawyer", playing the part of Ben Rogers. Jamison is a Wolf Cub Scout, and has a lot of fun with the other guys, earning his advancements.

I still work as the office manager at a heating and air-conditioning shop. I'm thankful to have it! I find myself in the position of Cubmaster of Jamison's Pack, but it's a lot of fun. Between running the kids around, work, Cub Scouts, and keeping the house from caving in, that's about all I have time for.

But we're blessed, and life chugs along.

Ahhh, the Rites of Spring!

2010-04-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

Is there a kid in the whole country who hasn't made a birdfeeder by smearing peanut butter on a pinecone, rolling it in birdseed, and hanging in from a tree branch? I had done this many a time with the GirlBear; this year it actually counts as an Elective for the Tiger Cub. Can I get a W00T?

And speaking of W00Ts, can we have a round of applause for the boy's FIRST FISH?!? Yes, indeed. The catfish in Flat Creek were biting that day!

It was a good Spring Break.

2010-03-12T07:08:00.000-08:00

I feel bad for the kids...at least for my son.

This is about how often they can see their dad.

My daughter doesn't want to, anyway, which is sad in itself, but my son should be able to hang out with his dad more.

But because certain members of his household won't work, he has taken a 3rd job (funny how he would never do that for me...all I ever heard was that III needed to work more, MORE!) to make ends meet.

So he only has 1 weekend a month on which he can see the kids.

Although...I posed the question of whether they couldn't just GO there and hang out at his house, and at least see him for the parts of the weekend that he WASN'T working. Makes sense, right?

Hmmmn...that idea was roundly rejected. I wonder by whom? And if we're talking about someone who refuses to HAVE my kids around unless their dad is hands-on the whole entire time...do I even WANT them around such a person?

No. No, not really. And it's too bad. But...we all make our choices, I guess.

Facebook Atrophy

2010-02-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

In the past months, I've been so immersed in playing on facebook, that I've neglected to post here. Sometimes I feel like it's redundant; everyone who gives a rip about what I say or think reads my stuff on facebook.

But then I realized that, for example, my dad is not on facebook, nor is he likely to ever be. But since I moved his grandchildren 2,000 miles away, I did promise him that I would post pictures and updates here, so that he could keep up with the goings on.

Sorry, Pop. It's been a 90-day blog desert. So what's happened since November? Well, let's see...

We passed our 1-year mark here in our new home. Putting Christmas up. Taking Christmas down. Amelia was in a play at the community theater, and she got her Learner's Permit. Jamison's Cub Scout Den sort of fell apart, and I sort of feel it was sort of my fault.

It snowed. Once. And then was gone. I did not receive a Valentine, but neither did I expect to. (Although...wouldn't the *sweetest* Valentines be those which you receive unexpectedly?)

The kids' dad is now down to one weekend a month because he's working a part-time job in addition to his regular job in addition to the Air Force Reserve. Because his wife won't work. That's all I'll say about that. His life, not mine. Except it's not just his life; it affects his kids, too.

I don't have a way home from work, tonight. My car-pooling-to-the-Alabama-relatives friends are borrowing my car to get them there, since theirs is in the shop. This was just decided an hour ago, but now I don't know how I'll get home.

However, I'd rather figure out how to get a mile-and-a-half from here, than have to drive 200 miles round trip between 7 and 11 tonight. (If we carpool, the other family and their AL folks can be at the halfway point MUCH earlier than the ex-h and I can--they deliver my son to him around supper time, instead of at 10:00 at night. This also means that I don't have to drive home from Alabama alone at night on unlit roads. Yes. Yes, you may borrow my car. I'll figure something out about getting home.)

Oh. And cats. We got cats. Used cats. My friend kept pissing and moaning about not wanting HIS cats, and my daughter kept whining and wheedling to GET a cat. My friend said, "You can have mine." So we took them. They live in her room. They seem to be happy. As happy as cats can seem, I guess.

I suppose that I should attempt to get some actual work done. Except that that would entail filing, and I hate filing. *sigh* But I really should try to earn my keep.

I hope that's enough of an update for now...

It's raining, it's pouring...

2009-11-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

The forecast is rain ALL day, today. There is NOTHING going on at work. Nothing at all. I'm looking at http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/, which is one of my favorite sites, printing recipes. Not that I don't appreciate surfing the web while at work but this is ridiculous. I'm going to ask the boss if I can just...not come back today, after lunch. There's no reason for him to pay me to sit here and do nothing.

Here's me, at my desk. Trying to look busy. I should go home.

Feeling Fallish.

2009-10-16T11:52:00.001-07:00

This is the view from my porch, yesterday. I'm thinking I'll snap another one every two weeks or so, to see how the scene changes...

Look Mom! No Training Wheels!

2009-09-22T07:28:00.001-07:00

Our neighbors pick up my son one day a week, and this last time, he and their son were playing, and the dad said, "You can ride M's bike,".

But my son said, "I don't know how--my bike has training wheels."

The dad said, "I bet you can."

So he put him on it and gave him a shove, and off he went.

Just. Like. That.

Yay!

We're In, Baby!

2009-09-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

We moved in to our fabulous new house about a month ago. I ended up getting a full-time job one week before moving day, so things have been a little hectic. But I finally got things put away, and most of the boxes cut down and put out at the curb.

I love this house. The kids love this house. Their friends love this house...and are jealous. "Man, I wish I lived here!"

It's not a fancy house; it's very comfortable. We don't have frilly curtains or doilies on the tables or antimacassars on the chairs. I would say that we don't have any antiques, but I ended up buying two pieces from the previous owner--a kitchen table and a buffet. But we USE them--I don't go around polishing them.

I'm looking forward to Christmas; this house was MADE for Christmas decorations! I may need to bite the bullet and hire professionals to do the design, this first year, since I have never had a house decorated well, before.

But it's the kind of house with a porch, with rockers and a porch swing. I sat out there the other night while my son played with Hot Wheels cars. I would love to have a "porch party". I'm hoping some (or lots) of our family and friends will come visit us and sit awhile!

One...more...gasp...week...

2009-08-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

Finally, officially, at long last, I'm a homeowner! Well, I don't own quite ALL of it, but a darn good portion thereof!

Moving day WAS going to be tomorrow, the 15th, and my son's 6th birthday party would have been HERE, at the new house, on the 22nd. But the sellers had a setback in the buying of THEIR new house, and so we can't move in until the 22nd.

The lady of the house cleared out the family room for me, though, and I was able to borrow a truck and small trailer the other day. I ferried 85+ bags, boxes, and bins over there and piled them in that room. I may do it again sometime this coming week; every container I can physically move myself saves me on the movers' costs!

So the birthday party is tomorrow, and we'll be moving in a week. Honestly, I'm absolutely ready to go. If the sellers called and said, "Okay, we're ready!", I could happily pull an all-nighter and get the last of the packing done. They could load during the party, and once the guests left, then we could go unload at the new house. But...that's not gonna happen.

What's gonna happen is that we'll be here another week. I think the sellers are going to actually vacate on Wed or Thur, though, so if that happens, I'll go in and take some pictures of the house as it stands empty. Well, except for the 85 containers...

2009-07-26T15:53:00.000-07:00

My daughter is 15. As such, she tends to have a certain degree of obliviousness to anything not strictly revolving around HER. She cultivates ennui like salad greens. She is a professional shrugger and eye-roller. With selective hearing. You've probably met her. And been ignored by her. If you're lucky, that is. If she doesn't ignore you, she'll insult you. (Although I'm beginning to see that in HER adolescent economy, if she insults you, it means she LIKES you.)

At any rate, she is notoriously difficult to engage. Nothing is good enough, nothing is interesting, nothing is worth getting off the sofa, except Mom's ultimatums that if the dishes aren't done in 14 minutes, there will be dire consequences. It is a requirement of being 15 that nothing impresses her.

Until this weekend. Last week, the local school board voted to do away with Mondays, in order to save money. That's right. No school on Mondays. EVER. I won't go into all the reasons that the parents think this is a bad idea, and the probable repercussions on the community; that's not what this is about, today.

Today, this is about something that INTERESTS my chronically apathetic teen. Today, said poster child for lassitude took an informal poll of her peers, and discovered that most of THEM don't like the idea of no school on Mondays, either. I'm a little stunned at this news, frankly. The kids' concern is that the new schedule will mean more homework, as well as the potential loss of "elective" activities. But again, that's not the point.

The point (and I do have one), is that MY daughter (and I've just sent away for a fingerprint kit to be sure) decided with a friend that they wanted to DO something about an issue that affects them directly. She asked me, "Mom, would 'Brady' and I get into trouble if we circulated a petition among the student body stating WHY we think getting rid of Mondays is a bad idea?"
Kind of like when you're playing poker, and you have a good hand, but don't want to give it away by the look on your face, I had to contain my enthusiasm at the prospect that my disassociative offspring actually wanted to become (*gasp*) INVOLVED in something other than Next Top Model. Few things will discourage a teenager faster than a parent's approval in this kind of thing, so I played it coo-oo-l.

"No, honey, not at all. You and your friends have every right to voice your opinion. And you should, if you feel strongly about something."

I had to stifle my Beavis-like chuckle when she asked me, "Will you help us find out how to make up the petition form correctly and stuff?"

"Sure, yeah." I tried not to beam too loudly, lest it spook her out of her new-found pursuit.

So off she went to a youth group activity, determined to garner support for her cause. Evidently she recruited at least two more volunteers for the organizational bandwagon. "How To Influence People And Make Friends", forsooth!

A while later, she texted me, dejectedly (and yes, texts have *tone*; if you can't interpret it, you just don't text enough. I have had more exchanges with this same kid over texting than she would EVER sit still for in "real" time!) Anyway, she dejectedly informed me that one of the group leaders had dumped ice water all over the kids' idea, stating that, "You're just children. This is a matter for the adults to decide, not you. You should probably just stay out of it. You're going to waste your time. You can't change anything."

I beg your pardon.

That is NOT the point AT ALL!

The POINT is that if these kids, in a day and age when apathy is the word of the day, if they want to use their own time and effort to attempt a change in their community, then I APPLAUD that. Will it make a hair's difference? No, probably not. But did I tell them that? Of course not!
Is it not their Constitutional RIGHT to be heard? Is it not their right to peaceably assemble, lawfully organize and respectfully present their opinion to the powers that be? It doesn't matter if their issue is to petition that the cafeterial serve monkey brains and couscous on Tuesdays. What matters is that my lackadaisical kid and her friends are motiviated to exercise their rights as citizens of a free society.

It's so easy to toss our kids' ideas aside as absurd or inane. Or hopeless. That's not the point. The point is that I want to be the kind of adult who will encourage my kids and their peers in exercising the rights that we're so proud of, the freedoms that set us apart.

No matter if she wants to petition to ban banana popsicles from the State of Georgia. If she wants to get involved in changing her society, then I will encourage her. I will equip her. And I will enable her.

And in so doing, I will empower her.

May I NEVER be ice-water on a fiery spirit!

Almost Home

2009-06-10T07:45:00.001-07:00

This is the house that I made an offer on; it's a great property!

We have a few details to work out, but I think we have a deal.

I'm supposed to meet with my lawyer today to have him look over their lawyer's draft of the proposal; waiting for a call back for the appointment.

But I think this one is going to be home!! :)

Deal, or No Deal?

2009-05-27T04:59:00.001-07:00

The house in the post below...I couldn't get.

This is the candidate du jour. It needs a lot of work, but in my weird financial situation, I may need to get into something that I can pay cash for, and fix up as I go along.

I've heard the advice: "Buy the worst house in the best neighborhood." This house isn't the worst, but I still think it qualifies.

The question will be whether it's livable WHILE work is being done on it. It's nowhere NEAR "move-in" condition as you usually think of it.

But you know what? I don't have a lot of options. I'd rather put my sweat equity into something that's significant, over boring.

Of Course...

2009-05-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

Of course, none of the furniture stays. My friends have made the point that most of my stuff is sort of neo-classical, which ki-i-nd of will work, but I'm going to have to consider getting some more antique-ish looking pieces.

But, I think that will be part of the fun--searching for and capturing the "right" things. It doesn't have to be done all at one time, nor can it. For the time being, I have enough to live with, certainly! We wouldn't be sitting on the floor.

Crunching the Numbers...

2009-05-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

There's no way I can afford what these folks are asking for this house. But the couple of real estate-savvy people I've talked to says that they are going to HAVE to come down quite a bit; there's no way they're going to GET what they're asking, in this market, in this area. And I don't think they've had any bites.

My tactic is going to be to offer what the comparables SAY that house should be worth, which is rather lowballing them. BUT! If THEY would be willing to owner-finance me, then they would stand to make A LOT in interest, bringing their "price" much closer to what they're asking, over 3 years.

I have a call in to the realtor, now. Waiting on him to call me back. Cross your fingers, your toes, your eyes...

This is a kick-ass house.

Back Country, Baby!

2009-05-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

Wow! That's one loooong horse!

No, he just has a friend. :) These are about the only "folks" I saw yesterday, while doing Census mapping.

Spring has sprung.

2009-05-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

This is how it looks around here, now--all greened up!!

This is the house we've been in, that I might HAVE to buy... but I don't really want to.

THIS is the house I'd LIKE to buy. It's beautiful. Inside...

...and out!

Cross your fingers!

Yeah, Been Awhile...

2009-04-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's been a while. I got into Facebook, and spend much of my PC time over there!

NOT, mind you, that I have any delusions of some great number of readers, anyway. But you never know.

Let's see... The Egg Hunt was great fun--we DID make it in time, and Jamie got lots of eggs.

I started the Census job, and it's a lot of hard work, but pretty fun most of the time.

I have to decide what to do about this leased house. I will soon either have to buy it or leave it. I don't really want to buy it--it's really not "me".

So...I've been looking at a few houses. Found one or two that I like very much, but it's just a matter of figuring out the finances...

The insurance interview finally came through--that will be Tuesday. If I get that, I'll have to quit the Census, but it makes sense to take the permanent position. BUT if I don't get it, at least I have a pretty good shot at working fairly steadily for the next year.

That's about it for right now. More on the kids and stuff, later...

Take away my Mommy Badge...

2009-04-02T06:05:00.000-07:00

The Easter my little boy was 3, that was the first year that he'd have a clue about baskets, eggs, etc... so of course we wanted to take him to an egg hunt! Our church didn't happen to do them, but we got a flyer, somewhere, about an Easter Egg hunt in a local park.

I made sure I had the day off, and we made plans to be there. I got him a basket, took the camera, everything. We pulled up to the park, and there were almost NO cars there, and just a few people milling about, cleaning up. Clearly we'd missed the Egg Hunt.

I took the flyer, and approached one of the ladies there. The flyer said 1:00, and it was only 12:40. She looked at it, and said, "Oh. Yeah. No. That's a misprint. It was at 10:00. Sorry."

We got back in the car, went to the CVS or someplace, BOUGHT some (discounted!) Easter treats when the boy wasn't looking, took them home, and the next morning, he got to do a "hunt" in the front yard. He was 3; like he knew the difference! But how many egg hunts does a kid get in life?

So last year, he was 4, and knew what was what! I was determined to get it right, this time. The drop-off for my daughter's school was adjacent to a church. This church had a LARGE banner dropped from their sign, reading, "Community Easter Fair! Everyone is Welcome! Saturday, April (whatever), Children and Families, Egg Hunt, Activities, Crafts,..."

I thought, "Perfect!", and made plans for us to be there.

We arrived at the advertised time, but there didn't seem to be many people around. We wandered around the church campus for a while, and people were setting things up, but they clearly weren't ready for children to participate. We got back in the car, and waited until we saw other children arriving.

We got out, and kind of followed those kids, but no one seemed to know what was going on, and no one seemed to be in charge, or to be directing traffic in any way. We watched some lady do an educational experiment with a system of pulleys, which she let the kids try. My son drew with some chalk on the sidewalk. But there still didn't seem to be any sort of system going on. It was very random.

We ended up in what I guess was their fellowship hall, and teens were busy stuffing eggs on tables. If you were having an egg hunt at 11:00, wouldn't you have the eggs stuffed before 10:10? Whatever. We approached a table where the kids could color an Easter picture. The lady said, "Where is his band?"

"Ma'am?"

"His band. All the kids need a band to show what group they're in."

"I see. Where does he get a band?" I asked.

"Didn't you get one when you signed him up?" she queried.

"Um...I didn't know I had to sign him up..."

"Oh, my, yes. There was Pre-Registration. Didn't you sign him up?"

"But the sign outside just says, 'Everyone Welcome', " I pointed out the window where we could see the banner. "It doesn't mention any registration required."

"Well, there's only 100 spots. You'll have to ask if you can register him today, but I don't know if So-and-so is here, yet..."

She indicated a table at the far end of the hall, where there were children and parents milling about, and several folks seated, with papers arrayed in front of them. I walked over there, and with a fair amount of effort, attracted the attention of one of the table-sitters.

"Um...Hi. I didn't know I was supposed to sign my son up ahead of time... Is there a fee to participate?"

"Oh. No. It's free, but there was Pre-Registration required."

And he turned away and greeted the next kid, saying cheerfully, "Hi! What's your name?", and looking at the papers taped to the table.

I had been dismissed. No offer to GET him signed in. No offer to LET him sign in. Nothing. The man wouldn't look at me again.

(I'm sorry, but if I am sitting at a table, in the midst of a children's party, and a cute little boy is staring at me, not understanding why the lady at the coloring table wouldn't give him a beastly crayon, I am bloody well going to DO something for him. I mean, c'mon!) And it's not like we looked like homeless people or anything. Clearly we were functioning members of society. How unhelpful can people BE? And this was not the DMV. This was a church.

It wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't already had an Egg Hunt Failure from the year previous. And if I had felt that there was an error on my part, then I wouldn't have been so stunned. But I walked to the balcony that ran around the outside of the hall, and I looked down at the sign for the 84th time since it had gone up.

It absolutely did NOT say that the kids needed to pre-register for this event. But there we were, children milling about with their little colored wrist-bands, people greeting one another all around us, no one speaking to us, no one even looking at us. We did not exist, because my son did not have a wrist-band. Couldn't GET a wrist-band. Would not BE getting a wrist-band, evidently.

I walked back to where my husband and daughter were standing, waiting, and I was barely able to speak. You know that burning sensation that happens in the base of your throat, before it gets up to your eyeballs, and you can feel that you are about to cry? I was fighting it with everything I had, because I didn't want to embarrass them, and I didn't want my boy to see me upset.

(At this writing, my palms have slicked, thinking about it.)

I croaked out, "We just need to go... right now. He can't... they won't... just... let's go. Please. Now."

I had got it wrong, AGAIN. And although neither incident was exactly my fault, I still felt that I had failed my son in some way. He was in the back of the car, asking why they wouldn't let him play there, why we had to leave, why he wasn't going to get any eggs, why the lady wouldn't let him color, why... why...

I felt at that moment like they could take away my Mommy Badge, and I wouldn't fight them.

Imagine that.

2009-04-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

"Try our New Iced Coffee..."

"... Just add ice..."

Oh, please.

2009-03-31T15:06:00.000-07:00

(Eye rolling)

My daughter let her friend Jenny walk home with her. Jenny lives 10 miles away, and so is SUPPOSED to ride the bus. If she DOESN'T, her mom has to come get her, or I have to drive her, 20 miles round trip. They did this before, saying Jenny "missed" her bus. That time, her mom said, "Next time you call me from the SCHOOL. Do not turn up on Laurel's doorstep!"

So here they come today, saying they had some genetics assignment that they were partnered on, and they "had" to work together. They said it was on leaves. I said, "Um...ok. Call your mom."I could tell that her mom didn't believe Jenny, but said whatever. They went to my daughter's room, but a little while later, it was too quiet. I went to check, and they were GONE.

My kid doesn't HAVE her celly, b/c it got taken up at school last week. Jenny doesn't own one. They were gone for 2 hours, I had no idea where. It's POURING rain. I called Jenny's house, but got the machine. I said, "They can't be trusted!" (Her mom is totally cool--as in strict! She doesn't believe the crap that kids try to pull!) She called a while later, but hadn't gotten the messages. She said, "Is Jenny ready to come? I'm in your driveway. I don't want to get wet."

I told her that I didn't know WHERE the girls were. She and I both listed the tortures that they'd suffer. Just then they came waltzing down the street, SOAKING WET, BAREFOOT. They came in here (Mom still on the phone), and I said, "You didn't tell me you were leaving."

They said, "Yes, we did. We said it was about genetics and leaves. We went to get some."

I said, "We HAVE leaves, dear."

She said, "Tcha. Not in the front yard!"

Friends, I have 17 windows in this house. Big ones. Outside of EVERY window, you can see MILLIONS UPON BILLIONS of leaves, from at least 1000 SPECIES of plant life. I told them this. I gestured to the VERITABLE FOREST that we live in. "Furthermore, if you were collecting leaves, you would have had notebooks, pens, ziplocs, a worksheet, something."

"Well, we were just on our way ba-a-ck to GET a bag..."

"Oh, please!"

"We didn't TAKE notebooks because they'd get wet."

"Where are your LEAVES?!?" I asked. "It took you two hours to find NO leaves? We live in the bloody Forest Primeval."

"Tcha. Whatever, Mom. Don't believe us."

"I don't."

I don't blame Jenny, exactly, alone. It's the combo of those two that ALWAYS leads to deception. Last time, she had my kid cut her hair in some rocker chick thing, when her mother had said No.

Before that, they conned her mom into taking them to the Mall, and my angel bought gauges for her ears, and because of the haircut she'd given HERSELF, I didn't SEE her ears for weeks, and didn't even think about it. Now the child has stupid ass gaping holes in her ears. I told her the punishment will be that she has to live with a deformity she caused herself. She WILL regret it. And she'll have to live with it, or pay to fix it.

So, they lied to us about the assignment (WHO forces science partners OUTSIDE of school time? No one. Especially not at a rural school). If they DID need leaves, they had METRIC TONS of them RIGHT HERE. They must think we're stupid. They should have at LEAST filled their pockets with some damn LEAVES.

It was while she was gone that I snatched the tv out of her room. I am NOT retrieving her phone from the school (this is the 3rd time it's been taken up, and THIS time I'd have to go down there, stand in front of the principal's desk, ask for it back AND pay $25. Nope. Not gonna do it.

She's supposed to go to CA over Easter break. I'm not cancelling her trip, though, because she'd have to sit here alone all day, and I don't trust her an inch. And frankly, I could use the break from her. Our friends out there are very good with her--they take NO crap, and they make her do chores with their daughter. "If your eat our food, you can wash our dishes!" The mom asked me if there were any friends I didn't want her to see. I think I'll go the other way and say that she's only ALLOWED to see certain friends, and not to be LEFT at anyone's house except those people.

A tight leash is easier on them, as well as better for my kid. I was such a nerd. This is all new territory to me... :)

God hanged the sun...

2009-03-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

My son thinks I hanged the moon. I didn't, quite, but I DID hang him some planets! And a whole bunch of stars.

They *GL-O-O-O-OW* in the dark!

Very, very cool!

Power in the Blood

2009-03-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

My mom was an ICU nurse my whole growning up years. Back in the 60's and 70's, before AIDS and such, things were a lot different at hospitals, as far as restrictions and regulations. Every couple of weeks, my mom would bring home EXPIRED BAGS OF BLOOD.

"WHY?!?", you ask?

No, we're not characters from a Lyndsay Sands novel (and the post-dated blood would've made us sick, anyway).

My mom would feed the blood to her HOUSEPLANTS. I kid you not. She swore it made them thrive.Well, and we did have some damn fine looking plants, I'll say that.

It was a little disconcerting for guests, though, when they'd see the empty blood bags in the trash, or if they were lucky, they'd get to catch the bag SITTING IN THE PLANT, trickling blood into the soil.

And people wonder why I'm weird.

Yeah. They're white. Pretty! But Pink? No.

2009-03-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

I took several shots with my traditional camera, since my digital one is broken. But I did take these with my cell phone.

It was a really nice spring day; the Festival was essentially a street fair, with a pink overtone. The boy child and I walked all around and had a nice time.

I tried boiled peanuts for the first time.

I'm thinkin' it may be the last time. Like congealed snot nuggets. Disgusting.

I also had frozen, chocolate-dipped key lime pie, on a stick. Weird. Very weird. But intriguing.

Kind of like my life. Weird. Yet intriguing...

"The Pinkest Party On Earth!"

2009-03-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

We need an outing.

http://www.cherryblossom.com/

Tomorrow (Sun) is the last day. We're going to drive up there tomorrow after church. Try not to get lost (I DID print several maps!). I'm shooting for the Food Festival/Street Fair, the Kids' Chalk thingy, and the Heart Of Georgia Pipes And Drums.

Should be fun.

I just...

2009-03-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a few weeks because I haven't been sure what to say.

The short version is this: My ex-husband announced that he's getting remarried.

Personally, I wish him all the best; all along, it has been my wish that he move on and be happy.

It was THE WAY in which he has gone about several things that has made everyone who knows about it say, "What is he thinking?!?"

The children, being of disparate ages and sensibilities, are at best perplexed, and at worst pissed off. So that's the damage control that I'm trying to manage right now.

That's it, in a nutshell, right now.

'Nuf Said.

2009-03-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

This pretty much sums it up.

"Every Ten Years"

2009-03-02T04:36:00.000-08:00

Oh, gosh, no! It doesn't snow here. Well, maybe every ten years or something, but you don't need to worry about that!

I-I-I'm worryin' about it! This is what it looked like around my house, yesterday. The news channels all said to stay off the roads, and the kids' were in Alabama with their dad. We agreed that we didn't want to each drive 200 miles round trip in this, so the kids are missing school today, and are staying there until tonight.

I'm afraid to even drive to work; it got below freezing last night (and still is), so all the slush will have turned to ice. So I dunno... I may have to call in.

Don't Be Fooled.

2009-02-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

I love Kindergarten!

This little cherubic face:

Is attached to the boy who brings his mama things like this:

Which I LOVE! This is up on my kitchen cabinet, along with the umbrella he brought me two weeks ago...

But don't be fooled by his seemingly angelic exterior!

He is poised to take over the world, if we don't watch it!

Timing is everything.

2009-02-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, driving my son home from school, he asked if we could do such-and-such that evening. I said, "No, baby. I have to go to work." The poor little guy burst into tears. At first I thought it was a tantrum because I said "No." And then I thought maybe he was just being pouty.

But as he sobbed, and told me why he was so sad, I realized he really was desolated that he'd been at school all day, and now I-I-I was going to be gone all evening. "Will you be home by supper?" No. "Will you be home to start my shower?" No. "Will you be home for story and tucking?" No.

He was inconsolable.

When we got home, I sat down and typed a note to my boss. I told him that as a (newly) single parent, I have additional challeges from the average worker, and that I don't feel comfortable leaving my kids alone at night right now. I told them that beginning March 8, my availability would change to just when my kids are in school.

In retail, that's the kiss of death, because everyone has to work evenings and weekends--it's just the nature of the beast. I know that the store's needs come first, and if my availability doesn't work for them, they are free to say, "Eh, no thanks." But that's a chance I have to take, since they insist on scheduling me with all the worst possible shifts for my family. So we'll see what happens, there.

BUT!!!!!

The same night that I put that note in the manager's box, I got a voice mail from the US Census Bureau, to which I had applied and taken an exam a couple months ago. THEY HIRED ME as not just an ennumerator, but as a Quality Control officer, checking the ennumerators' work in my county. True, the job is only for 3 months, but it pays WELL more than my retail job, and it's for 40 hours a week.

That not only will look fabulous on a resume, but it will give me time, money, and breathing room to find something else full-time.

Amazing how these things work out, isn't it? :)

Regarding Tornadoes

2009-02-19T18:23:00.000-08:00

Somewhere in Georgia:

Very unfortunate. :(

Heather asked me a good question: Where would we go if a tornado hit? Well, there are hurricane corridor signs around here, for people to get inland for those, but tornadoes, while there is some warning, there's not really enough to get GONE.

Essentially, you just have to take cover when you hear the siren.

Except on Wednesday, we didn't HEAR the siren, because the rain was SO loud! But my best friend's son (age 13) called me from his mom's house, worried that we'd be scared. He reminded me that if we heard a twister coming, to stay away from any windows. The only room that would be is the kitchen; it's interior, with house all around it, so we'd have to hunker down there and hope for the best.

I think it's still better than CA earthquakes; at least with tornadoes you know to batten down the hatches/brace yourself/prepare for impact kind of thing. No matter where you go, there's something...

You'd never know...

2009-02-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

...that 18 hours ago, the eastern sky was black with clouds, and there was a tornado watch. Then we had some awesome lightning! But right now, it's picture perfect.

Almost reminds me of a California winter's day.

Almost.

Oh, and...

2009-02-18T13:26:00.000-08:00

...The Prince also woke up Monday with Pink Eye.
(Not his real eyeball--somebody's, sure, but not his)

Luckily there was no school that day, but the photo of him taking over my bed is WITH his crusty crud! I had to boil all of that bedding. The pediatrician's office couldn't see him until almost 5:00; turns out he has a double ear infection, to boot, so I guess it's "lucky" I took him in when I did.

My poor little, germ-ridden, contagion carrying munchkin. I wish he'd stay offa my pillowcase.

It's Good To Be The Prince.

2009-02-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's good to be the prince.

Bu-u-u-t...

It kinda sucks to be the displaced queen.

Text Bane

2009-02-15T09:57:00.000-08:00

You send a teenager off with a bunch of other teenagers, away from her parents for a full 72 hours, and what does she do? You'd think she'd be ecstatic to be having a weekend adventure. But, no.

She texts her mother constantly, complaining of this, that, and the other thing.

Her head hurts. She has cramps. She's tired. She doesn't wanna ski. She fell down. Her gloves got wet. She feels nauseous. Oh, on and on, and onandonandonandon. I did my best to keep up with them, trying to encourage her...

...but I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm being manipulated. I finally texted her, asking if she'd like me to speak to one of the leaders, and maybe she could just go sit on the bus by herself.

I didn't hear back, after that. :)

2009-02-13T15:15:00.000-08:00

The girl child went off on a snow retreat this weekend. I thought they were coming back Sunday afternoon, but it turns out they won't be back until Monday afternoon. I called my boss, and said, "Dude. I don't have childcare that day." I figured I'd get flack for weaseling out of working on a holiday, but he just said, "Okay, no problem." So that's cool. A Monday off; haven't had one of those in a while.

The boy child will be off school that day too, of course. I'm not sure what we'll do. Actually, if I didn't have to work tomorrow night (sure, make the middle aged divorced woman work Valentine's evening; she won't mind!), we might have made plans to go somewhere. Where? I dunno. But somewhere FUN, dang it!

However, I DO have to work tomorrow night, and I'm scheduled to be the on-duty Bridal Consultant, which would be the first time I've been alone doing it. Please, God, let all the couples go do OTHER couple-ish things, and stay outta my store. I'm just not up to it.

So I have a little time to think of something to do with the boy child on Monday. Or Sunday afternoon, for that matter. I'm open to suggestions...

Bad Idea, Boys.

2009-02-12T12:08:00.000-08:00

Um... No.

I don't think so. Just for any male readers out there, I'd like to make it clear that it is NOT appropriate for you to buy your woman pajamas, (ESPECIALLY with a "Do Not Disturb" sign included!), for Valentine's Day.

No, no-no-no, no, nooooo.

Why? Because it's presumptuous. Now, you can't go wrong with jewelry; I don't care what kind.

But a Valentine gift should NOT include anything that YOU, the guy, can remotely benefit from. And I don't care who the woman is, when she opens a "gift" for "her" containing something like what you see above, she KNOWS it's not for HER. That's for YOU!

Oh, and no stuffed animals dressed up as your profession, either. Sorry, maybe that's harsh, but that's the truth.

NOT, mind you, that I have any experience receiving Valentines, nor do I expect to.

I'm just sayin'. Tryin' to look out for my guy friends.

Bait...

2009-02-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

Guess what?

I'm not biting.

Chamber of Commerce

2009-02-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

If this town were to pick a winter's day to put in the Chamber of Commerce brochures, today should have been it. It was so beautiful, today. Clear, bright, blue sky, perfect temperature, woodland creatures perfoming impromptu musical numbers, that kind of thing.

I'd have shown you a photo or two, IF I COULD FIND MY CAMERA!!! I suspect a certain blonde person with blue eyes. Mine are brown. The boy's are hazel. Who does that leave?!? Grrr. So this one will have to do.

Anyway, JT and I took advantage of the lovely weather, and the absence of his sister (she being at her dad's this weekend) to walk down to the elementary school (not his) near our house to play on the playground. It was a little farther than I'd thought, but it was such a sparkling day, it was fine. My one regret was taking the Pug along. Pain in the butt dog. As I sat on a bench and watched JT play, the stupid dog kept barking ...at NOTHING. Eventually, I figured out that, in the distance, you could see pieces of the road between the houses. HE WAS BARKING AT THE CARS AS THEY "FLASHED" in and out of sight. Dumb animal.

We had a nice time, and when we got back, the kids next door were home, so JT played over there for a while. THEY have a Wii, which makes their house infinitely more acceptable than our pathetic Wii-less house! But, we have a tree swing, which does seem to lure the offspring out into the sunshine from time to time.

And today was the picture-perfect day for it!

Moving Furniture...Again.

2009-02-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

Alrighty, then. Yesterday was spent moving furniture around in the house...again. But this time the kids knew it was happening. :) I decided to make the under-utilized "book" (bonus-type) room into the master bedroom, give AJ the smaller, current master so she can have her own bathroom (it's frankly a little cramped for a master bath, if you ask me, but as a secondary or "junior" master room, it works). Then her old room can be a guest room.

Hint, hint! :)

Here is the result of the move, yesterday. Today has been spent finding a place for everything. I'm not finished, but it's getting there... The door next to the curtained door is the bathroom.

There's no closet in this room, so I'm using a bookshelf, temporarily. For a short term stop-gap, I'm going to get a portable closety-thing. Assuming I buy the house, in addition to having a shower put in the bathroom (it's just a powder room, now) I'll probably have both sets of bookcases turned into matching closet spaces, making it an actual master bedroom.

I really like the bed under the large window, like an extended headboard. The only thing is, I have to make sure I make the bed every morning, because it directly faces the door everyone goes in and out of. :)

There's still this whole wall of built-ins, so even giving up the other shelving, there's still storage and book/display area in here... I debated on whether to bring my desk in here, but the "breakfast" room/study/pc room directly outside (seen to the right), is much more spacious without my desk taking up the 3rd wall (4th wall is all a storage closet). Plus, if I do need to work at my desk, I can close the door, etc...

My desk used to sit against this wall, closing this room in. Try to ignore the piles on the table; eventually, that table will be a scrapbooking station...

...and the computer can still sit here. Note the plate on the floor from when the Pug got loose and THEIFED the boy's plate of grapes off of the coffee table. We rescued the grapes, but the plate went missing. Found it!

Here's the family room in it's current configuration, which is about the 6th or 7th. I think this is the winner, though. Several people can watch a movie together, or be able to chat. There's also a small area behind the sofa for JT to play, or color, etc...

Here's the front room, which has been tweaked a few times, as well. I think this is how it will stay for the foreseeable future, though. Dig those white walls! If I buy this place, I'm just going to have to paint! I don't do white walls!

That white chair was in my room, before, but this corner kept bugging me. I tried a table, I tried a tv, I tried a plant, but nothing worked. This little reading-corner set up feels right. It's a nice place to sit, away from the rest of the house.

You can see the dining room beyond this. I have never had a formal dining room, so it's a little weird for me. Haven't USED it, yet, but I very much hope to! :)

No-o-t Fu-u-nny!

2009-02-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

There's a U.S. Air Base not too far from here. They fly sorties, of course. The jets, however, tend to break the sound barrier ri-i-i-ght about when they're over our town.
BOOM!
I'm telling you, it sounds like a truck has hit the house, the windows rattle, etc...

Now, what do you think a California girl thinks is happening when the HOUSE SHAKES?!?

The first time it happened, I called my friend and yelled, "What WAS that?!?" He laughed.

Yeah. He laughed at me. "You've never heard a sonic boom, before?"

"It's not funny. No, not that I can remember. Does that happen a lot?"

"Um...only about every day or so."

"Great. I wonder how long I'll instinctively duck and cover..."

Gotta hand it to 'em!

2009-02-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

Somehow along the way, I have gotten on Chuck E. Cheese's email list. They send coupons every now and then, so that's alright. But this morning, I got one that made me laugh.

The reference line read, "Economic Stimulus Package..."

"...For Family Fun!"

I thought that was pretty clever. Way to capitalize on the nation's headlines! And, way to try to get folks to part with their coin, during a time when people are having to cut back. (Not that I don't ADORE Chuck E. Cheese's, what with the deafening decibel level, myriad unhinged waifs, and the aroma of dirty socks...)

I wondered when the proliferation of Starbucks, for example, would catch up. I mean, for HOW LONG did we expect people to shell out $4 (or more!) for a cup of coffee? Oh, there are those who just get the cheaper plain old COFFEE, I know, but of course where the addiction lies is with the espresso drinks.

But it was only a matter of time (and money) before consumers had to make a choice. Hmmmn... Do I pay the gas bill this month so the house will stay warm, or do I spend $80 on coffee? Personally, I've been cut from 20 hours per week to 12, so I'm afraid groceries and gasoline have to come before my (admittedly beloved) Grande Iced Latte (w/1 SnL, tyvm!).

And, unfortunately, the electric bill and the phone bill have to come before spending 40 bucks in one evening on Skeeball and Whack-a-Mole, even as much as my son loves those things (and as much as I love watching him shell 17 consecutive tokens into what essentially amounts to a gambling device).

The saving grace for me is where we now live. In California, we drove RIGHT PAST a Chuck E. Cheese's on the way to and from church. EVERY Sunday, and EVERY Wednesday, I had to have the, "Oh, please Mama, tan't we puh-leeze go to Chuckie's?!?..." conversation. Here, I don't even know where the closest location IS, which is my tactic: "Gee, honey, I haven't seen one here..."

And while I intend to keep it that way for as long as possible, I still have to award a kudo to CEC for their marketing. Well played.

One Word.

2009-02-02T13:17:00.000-08:00

Using ONLY ONE WORD! It's not as easy as you might think! Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? Pocket.

2. Your significant other? None.

3. Your hair? Medium.

4. Your mother? Gone.

5. Your father? California.

6. Your favorite? Latte.

7. Your dream last night? Forgotten.

8. Your favorite drink? Diet.

9. Your dream/goal? Pending.

10. What room you are in? Study.

11. Your hobby? Surveys.

12. Your fear? Fear.

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Anywhere.

14. Where were you last night? Sofa.

15. Something that you aren't? Surprised.

16. Muffins? Please!

17. Wish list item? Architecture.

18. Where you grew up? Brea.

19. Last thing you did? Avocado.

20. What are you wearing? Fuzzy.

21. Your TV? Off.

22. Your pets? Superfluous.

23. Your friends? Distant.

24. Your life? Complex.

25. Your mood? Contemplative.

26. Missing someone? Yup.

27. Car? Woody.

28. Something you're not wearing? Gloves.

29. Your favorite store? Open.

30. Your favorite color? Red.

33. When is the last time you laughed? Forgot.

34. Last time you cried? Last?

35. Who will resend this? Bored.

36. One place that I go to over and over? Bathroom?!?

37. One person who emails me regularly? Tricia.

38. My favorite place to eat? Steakhouse.

39. Favorite shoe? Sexy.

40. Most visited website? MySpace?

But wait, there's more!

2009-01-30T08:46:00.001-08:00

One of the first things I noticed, driving around this 5.2 square-mile town, is that there are A LOT of auto parts stores. Actually, it was my daughter who first noticed it. "Mom. People here must ALL fix their own cars. There's an auto parts store on every corner!"

This is the auto parts store closest to my house.

This is the NEXT closest auto parts store. It's almost directly across the street from the first one!

THIS is the next, NEXT closest auto parts store, and it's at the very next intersection.

JUST as my daughter made her observation, we drove past yet ANOTHER another auto parts store! We got lost a lot that first day, so I don't remember exactly where that store was, but when I pointed out to a local resident the proliferation of auto parts stores, I was told, "Oh, and that's not all of them!" Evidently, there is a FIFTH auto parts store at the other end of town ("...across the tracks, down a ways, past the station...", etc...) but I didn't go look for that one.

How can a town of 8200 people support FIVE auto parts stores?!?

Well, it turns out it can't. Yesterday I heard the sad news that the oldest of the auto parts stores, not pictured here, will be closing it's doors. Gee, I hope the other FOUR can handle the slack!

ABC's

2009-01-28T16:35:00.000-08:00

The ABCs of Me

The Letter A

Are you available?: Technically, yes.

What is your age?: Old enough to lie about it.

What annoys you?: People with NPD.

The Letter B

Do you live in a big house?: Is 2300 sq ft big? I think it is, pretty much!

When is your birthday?: Dec 1.

Who is your best friend?: You know who you are.

The Letter C

What's your favorite candy?: Lindt truffles.

Who's your crush?: Undisclosed.

When was the last time you cried?: January 20-something.

The Letter D

Do you daydream?: All the time.

What's your favorite kind of dog?: Someone else's.

What day of the week is it?: Wednesday.

The Letter E

How do you like your eggs?: Over-easy.

Have you ever been in the emergency room?: For myself? No.

What's the easiest thing ever to do?: Um...Fall off a log?

The Letter F

Have you ever flown in a plane?: Sure.

Do you use fly swatters?: Yep.

Have you ever used a foghorn?: To do WHAT?!?

The Letter G

Do you chew gum?: When I have garlic or onion breath.

Are you a giver or a taker?: Both, when appropriate.

Do you like gummy candies?: Yes.

The Letter H

How are you?: Better than most, not as good as some.

What color is your hair?: Dark blonde.

The Letter I

What's your favorite ice cream?: Mint Chocolate Chip or Coffee

Have you ever ice skated?: Yes. I filed it under NA. Never Again.

Do you play an instrument?: I sure wish I could, but no.

The Letter J

What's your favorite jelly bean flavor? The ones my kid won't eat.

Do you wear jewelry?: Yes. Not a ton, but a bit.

The Letter K

Who do you want to kill?: Literally? No one. Fantasy wise? I'm thinking...

Do you want kids?: In the thick of it, baby!

Where did you go for kindergarten?: William E Fanning Elementary.

The Letter L

Are you laid back?: Yeah, I think I am.

Do you lie?: I HAVE, but I try really hard not to!

The Letter M

Whats your favorite movie?: Oooh. Unfair. Too many. There needs to be a category for drama, adventure, romance, comedy, etc...

Do you still watch Disney movies?: Of course!

Do you like mangos?: YES! With lime and salt.Yes, I know that applies to margaritas, but trust me, it goes with mangoes, too!

The Letter N

Do you have a nickname?: No. I can't think of one. Kinda sad, really.

What is your real name?: Laurel Ann, as my profile implies.

Whats your favorite number?: 11 and 23. No reason.Do you prefer night over day?: That depends.

The Letter O

What's your one wish?: For 3 more wishes?

Are you an only child?: Yep.

The Letter P

What one fear are you most paranoid about?: I'm not very fearful.

What are your pet peeves?: Repetitive noises

What's a personality trait you look for in people?: Sense of humor, hands down!

The Letter Q

What's your favorite quote?: "That which does not kill me makes me stronger." Or, "I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."

Are you quick to judge people?: I try not to.

The Letter R

Do you think you're always right?: Yes. And the sooner you figure that out, the happier a person you will be.:)

Are you one to cry?: I didn't used to be, but I'm softening as I get older. (But that question doesn't have anything to do with the letter "R").

The Letter S

Do you prefer sun or rain?: I love blustery days.

Do you like snow?: Ugh. No. A thousand times, no.

What's your favorite season?: Fall.

The Letter T

What time is it?: 7:48

What time did you wake up?: 6:30

When was the last time you slept in a tent?: Thankfully long enough ago that I don't even remember.

The Letter U

Are you wearing underwear?: (*checking*)...YES!

Underwear or boxers?: "Girl" boxers, actually.

The Letter V

What's the worst veggie?: Brussells sprouts.

Where do you want to go on vacation?: The operative word there is "GO". Doesn't matter where.

The Letter W

What's your worst habit?: Pro...cras...tin...a...tion.....

Where do you live?: About a block from the elementary school.

What's your worst fear?: Not being able to think of survey answers.

The Letter X

Have you ever had an x-ray?: Every year at the dentist.

Have you seen the x-games?: Yes, in Oceanside, at the pier.

Do you own a xylophone?: No, but I had one of those toy ones when I was a kid!

The Letter Y

Do you like the color yellow?: On bananas, lemons, sunrises, etc...

What's one thing you yearn for?: Clear direction.

The Letter Z

Whats your zodiac sign?: Sagittarius

Do you believe in the zodiac?: Not at all.

Favorite zoo animal?: Otters.

A Must See!

2009-01-26T05:53:00.000-08:00

My PC crashed last October, and I never did get it back, so I lost the links to all my favorites. A bunch of them I remembered, when I thought of this or that, but there had been a lot of them, and I couldn't recall them all.

Something on a recipe card or something recently reminded me of one of my favorite sites. I only look at it every couple months, so I kind of forget about it, and it's funny all over again. I went there last night because I needed a laugh, and it didn't disappoint!
The Gallery Of Regrettable Food.

The author's comments are what's funny; I have never failed to find something there that makes me helpless with laughter.

And who can't use that?!? Enjoy!

Okay, I'll bite...

2009-01-25T15:55:00.000-08:00

I got this from Heather's site. I'll play along...if I can think of 25 things. Let's see:

1. I have kissed the Blarney Stone, so maybe you shouldn't believe another thing I say.

2. My dad's Collie dog attacked me when I was 3. My mom broke a 2x4 over his back.

3. I dislike strawberry flavored things. Love strawberries, but hate the flavoring.

4. I believe it was an angel in human form who saved me from plummeting to my death off of Huayna Picchu in Peru.

5. I have only white towels. They give a "spa" feeling, and can be bleached, and...

6. ...I lo-o-ve the smell of a towel when you unfold it and you get that little whiff of bleach.

7. A man named Felix, a native of Venezuela, once proposed to me.

8. My grandmother always told me that I was her favorite (she might have told all of us that).

9. I am right handed, but left "eye'd". Interesting when trying to site a firearm.

10. I have handled firearms.

11. I'm not bad at basketball.

12. I keep acrylic nails because if I didn't, I'd chew my nails down to bloody stumps.

13. If we're out of peanut butter, we're out of food.

14. I mourn the old days of actual film in my camera. I'm a dinosaur, I know.

15. I tend to rearrange furniture a lot.

16. I hate my dog. (Please, no emails. He gets treated just fine. I just don't like 'im.)

17. My ex-husband and I were married twice: a civil service and a church service. Not that it did much good.

18. My ob/gyn misdiagnosed my second pregnancy as fibroids.

19. That second pregnancy, my son, had a perfect knot tied in his cord. The delivery staff couldn't believe he was even alive.

20. I think I have cubital tunnel syndrome.

21. Years ago, I adopted Heather's practice of never answering the phone until I know who it is.

22. I don't buy margarine. Real butter only.

23. I don't like pens with caps; I like clicky pens.

24. I enjoy public speaking.

25. People either pretty much instantly like me/get a kick out of me, or find me impossible.

Hey! I made it to 25! Your turn!

Informative afternoon

2009-01-22T16:53:00.000-08:00

Spent some time today, talking with the pastor at church. I had done some research on this denomination, and I had notes with some questions about a few things that I'd read about their "flavor" of belief system. As I'd thought, there weren't any real deal-breakers, but I did want the pastor to know my thoughts on the few... diversities I found. He defended them as I supposed he would, and I didn't disagree with his arguments; I just don't fully agree with their interpretation of a couple things.

But on the whole, the fact that this body of believers holds to the ideal that, "We find nothing essential except that which is found in Scripture." I can agree with all of their essentials; the non-essentials are just that--not essential to getting along. You like peanuts on your ice cream? I'll pass, but toffee bits? Now we're talking! As long as we begin with quality ice cream in each bowl.

The pastor was impressed and pleased that I'd bothered to go to all the trouble of reading up on the differences in doctrine here, from what I'm used to. But wouldn't any reasonable person want to know WHAT they were agreeing to uphold? Especially if I'm going to stand up in front of the congregation.

But we had a good talk, and he respects my viewpoint. Also importantly, he now knows a bit more about me and where I'm coming from.

2009-01-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

The pastor stopped me on the way out of church this morning. As I shook his hand, he took my elbow with his other hand, and said, "I'm so, so sorry that I have neglected you! Can we meet some afternoon or evening this week?"

By "neglected", he meant that he hasn't approached me about joining the church. I am accustomed to churches having a pastor's class, or a membership class, or something of that nature, and either interested parties sign up on their own, or someone asks them if they'd be interested.

I am inclined to go ahead and join this body, but I was kind of waiting around for...whatever I assumed was protocol. In answer to a casual inquiry, I was told last week that there is no formal protocol. But this information was accompanied by the question, "You mean no one's checked on you since you've been here? For 10 weeks?"

Uh, no... Were they supposed to? Evidently this is a sore point amongst some of the folks, here. Whose job is it to follow up with newcomers? IS it the pastor? If it's NOT solely the pastor's job, then who delegates, and to whom? Should people have to ASK to be told more about the church, or shouldn't someone offer? In the preacher's defense, he did call me the week after we first attended, but I guess the issue is that there was no follow-up later to see how we were doing, settling in, if we needed anything, had we found classes, etc...

Anyway, the fact that a new family had been thus neglected was pointedly brought to the pastor's attention this past week, with some degree of "what are you going to do about this?" and it would seem that he is acting on that challenge. I'm to call the church office tomorrow and set up a time that I can meet with him.

I have a few questions. I'm used to churches carefully outlining "What We Believe", and then a person decides if they can spiritually align themselves with that doctrine. This will be the first time that I have had to conduct an "interview", if you will, with a church and what it stands for. I already know that this congregation stands for all the right stuff; it's not about that. But I want to feel like someone within the corporate entity understands where I'm coming from, and vice versa. Traditionally, that should be the pastor.

I don't think there are any "deal breakers" to be had, but I'm interested in finding out how the land lays on a few issues, just for the sake of argument. For example, I was in a church once before that I was surprised to learn had drawn a line in the sand over something that I simply could not agree with. It didn't make me want to leave the church, but I knew that I would have to agree to disagree on that matter.

I believe in God's people contributing their time, talents, and treasure to the local ministry, and I intend to do so. I just want to get some "gee-whiz" information on this body's belief system before I sign on.

20 Degrees

2009-01-16T05:34:00.000-08:00

"Whether the weather is cold, or whether the weather is hot, we'll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not!"

I went snow skiing a lot when I was a teenager, and I remember discovering that for me, 20 degrees was about the perfect temperature. It was just cold enough so that you didn't get TOO warm from the clothing and the activity. 20 degrees was comfortable, on the slopes.

However, I realized this morning that: A) I don't own ski clothes any more (and wouldn't I look silly driving the kids to school wearing my banana-yellow down bibs?!?), and B) Walking a pug is not quite the same level of exertion as skiing.

Nevertheless, I had to laugh when I heard that Fullerton, California was 82 degrees yesterday. In CA, the seasons are limited to "It's raining! Turn on the news!", and "Close the door! The air is on!"

No, I'm glad to be where there are four distinct seasons.

By the way...

2009-01-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

I was on the local NBC nightly news the other night.

There was a town hall kind of parents' meeting about the redistricting of the schools, here; it has a lot of people upset. The interesting thing, I have learned from an outside source, is that there's wa-a-y more going on with this issue than what the informational meeting spoon-fed to the parents.

Having confirmed where my son would be attending next year, I stood in the auditorium, chatting with our church's Children's Director, and we were approached by a reporter from WMGT. He asked if we'd mind sharing our reactions with him. Betty abstained, since she doesn't have a child in the system; she was there just for the information. So it was up to me.

As we walked toward the exit, I told him my perception of what we'd been told. It was then that I realized (I had not, before) that he was a television reporter. I'd assumed that he was a writer for a local paper, but the camera set up in the lobby corrected that notion.

"Would you mind just going over all of that again, on camera?" he asked me.

"Um. Sure." I said.

As it turns out, mine was the interview that enabled the reporter able to say, "...parents had mixed reactions...". When we watched the story on the 11 o'clock news that night (and again the next morning!--*groan*), two dads and two moms before me were complaining about the re-districting. I was the final soundbite, and was the sole proponent, stating that in my case, my son would be attending closer to home, so for me this development is a good thing.

Anyway, when I did it, I had no idea there was as much involved in this imbroglio as there is. I'm glad I didn't say anything too controversial!

My little 5 seconds of fame.

I guess they take that off my account, right?

Okay, I'll bite...2008 In Review:

2009-01-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

2008: A Year In Bulletpoints

Q: What did you do in 2008 that you had never done before?
A: Um...got divorced. Moved 2000 miles away. Beat that.

Q: Did you keep your New Year's resolutions?
A: Who can remember that far back?!? I must not have made one.

Q: What would you like to have in '09 that you didn't have in '08?
A: I'm laughing hysterically; I'll have to get back to you on that one.

Q: What dates from '08 will remain etched upon your memory?
A: March 23, May 5, October 29, November 8, December 4.

Q: Did you suffer from any injury?
A: Only my heart breaking.

Q: Where did most of your money go?
A: Into the bank, thankfully.

Q: What did you get really excited about?
A: Let me think...

Q: What song will always remind you of 2008?
A: Pocketful of Sunshine

Q: Favorite TV shows of 2008?
A: Dirty Jobs, Good Eats

Q: What was your greatest musical discovery?
A: I have no idea.

Q: Best book you read this year?
A: A Lydsay Sands vampire book on the plane.

Q: Favorite film of the year?
A: I can't recall going to the movies in 2008. At all. I'm sure I must have, but that's what kind of impact the films had on me.

Q: Describe your fashion concept of '08:
A: It takes the exact same amount of time to pull on a flattering sweater and a pair of slacks as it does a stained sweatshirt and baggy jeans. May as well look presentable.

Q: What celebrities did you fancy the most?
A: Kiefer Sutherland's kinda hunky.

Q: Who do you miss?
A: A bloody loaded question, that.

Q: Biggest achievement?
A: Landing on my feet.

Q: Did you fall in love in 2008?
A: I'm gonna have to go with "no".

Q: What's one thing that would have made your year more satisfying?
A: To have more of the questions answered, but they'll come in time...

I'm exhausted.

2009-01-13T16:39:00.000-08:00

Last night I noticed that several of the flood lights that light up the corners of the house (not a lot of streetlights around here) were out. So I went to the hardware store, got enough lamps to replace ALL of them, dragged out the ladder, and changed out all the bulbs. I got the low-energy kind, thank you very greenly.

Then I decided to get all my scrapbook stuff into one area. At some point, I will purge, consolidate, and organize it better, but for now, it's still in the bins I shipped it all in. But I did clear out the bottom of the closet in the study, and I moved the tables around again, to try to find the best arrangement to set up a scrap area.

Also, this way, the messy desk is hidden from view when people enter the house, and it's no longer the view from the kitchen "window".

I've also been contemplating this house, and how we'd use the space if I turn the "bookroom" into a guest house/rental studio apartment. It's nice to have a "run around in it" room, but we don't really need it. I might rather have the income and or/one of the kids might like the privacy if they live at home during college. Really the only part of the room in actual use is the built-in bookshelves. So I hauled all of our scrapbooks into the living room (where people are much more likely to see them), and put them into the bookcases I have in there, which up til now were empty.

Then it bugged me the lamps were on the floor in there, so I stacked some baskets and made a couple temporary lampstands.

THEN it bugged me that the tv we got for that room is truly too hard to see from the seating; it's too small a screen for that space. So I gave in and moved the tv into my room. IF I decide to put another tv in the living room, it will need to be bigger. And I know, I know. I CANNOT believe those words are coming from me, but I tried to watch a movie in there the other day, and it was too far away to see well.

After I got my desk moved, I realized that the shutters on the kitchen window (previously the outdoor window, but since the addition, a pass-through to the "study") really bugged me. So I took them down. Then I kept going and took down a bi-fold door between the hall and the family room, that made it hard to carry a laundry basket. Gone. Up in the attic!

Now, I'm going to make a cup of tea, sit down, and watch American Idol.

Yes, American Idol.

Can't help it--it's like the scene of an accident. I can't tear my eyes away.

Fifteen bucks...

2009-01-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

This was the some of the best 15 bucks I've ever spent!

Opelika

2009-01-11T15:01:00.001-08:00

Yeah, it's a word. It's in Alabama; it's where I meet the kids' dad to drop them off to him and pick them up. It's the halfway point between my house and his. Cruising at 77 miles per hour, while hoping the GA state troopers don't take 65 all that seriously, it takes just under 90 minutes, one way. With a bathroom break/coffee order at the 24-hour Starbucks (go figure!), it's still about a 3 1/2 hour project, at least. And that happens on the Friday, then again on the Sunday. So it ain't fun.

Someone reported to me that a relative of theirs speculated on what I'm doing over here in Georgia, and why didn't I move to Alabama to be closer to my ex so that he could help me with the kids. My somewhat repulsed response was, "Has she BEEN to Alabama?!?" Now, I'm not knocking Big Al; I'm sure there are all kinds of redeeming qualities there, or someone wouldn't have written the song. I guess I just haven't had opportunity to witness same.

I'm telling you: you cross the line into Alabama, and the drivers get weird. They just do. They don't know how to speed up to merge, and will HONK at you for not slamming on your brakes to let them in. No, sweetie--you have to speed up to the flow of traffic. They don't know what "slower traffic keep right" means. They will pull out onto a highway where everyone is zipping along at 65-70, and drop in front of you at 45, when they could have very well have gone over into the right lane. By the way they drive, I'd swear they're all octagenarians from Sarasota, but I see that they are not.

This past Friday, 5 minutes after we crossed the state line, some guy did something out-of-the-"where-the-sky-is-so-blue"-stupid, and as I downshifted and slammed on my brakes, I yelled, "I don't LIKE Alabama!", which cracked my daughter up. I can't explain it, but as soon as you get on the 280 east and cross BACK into Georgia, people drive normal again. Another cultural phenomenon? I don't know. But I have done 8 trips, now, and it's the same every time. I have been making a list of why I find I like it here in Georgia, and now I have the beginnings of a list of why I don't think I'd make it in Alabama. The perpetual road rage wouldn't be worth it--3 times a month is enough!

You don't say...

2009-01-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

There are days like this:

I know, because I have them all the time.

Today wasn't so bad, though (well, except for paying the babysitter MORE than I made at work). I have been wondering the past few days when to give notice at my retail job, ever since learning that the insurance job PROBABLY will be coming through. I was thinking about that this morning, while it was just the manager and I opening the building, getting ready for the day.
Mike turned to me and said, "Listen I gotta talk to you,". I thought, "Oh, bother," figuring I was going to get reemed for skipping work for that funeral yesterday. Maybe I wouldn't NEED to give notice...

But he said, "What kind of availability can you give me?"

I asked, "What do you mean, exactly?"

He went on to explain that he wants to make some changes in the building, and because I'm certified in a particular position from my other store, he wants to give me that job... which is full time, Mon-Fri, and includes benefits. The glitch is that I'd have to work 7 am - 4 pm. The 4 pm is not a problem, but there's no way I can leave for work at 6:30 am. The girl child might be able to get herself to school, but the boy? The elementary school is 10 miles away. I'd have to put him in before AND after school care! And get him there at 6:00 every morning?!? Meaning get UP at 5:00? UGH!!!

Now, I appreciate that he gave me a chance and took my transfer, which he didn't have to do. And I'm glad that he's pleased enough with my performance after a month to offer me a full-time position, and IF I could work out the childcare, it would be what I need to keep the wolf from the door...

...but if that insurance job comes through, right here in town, no commuting 250 miles a week, and being that it's NOT RETAIL... I mean, c'mon. I'm over 40 years old. How long do I want to climb up and down ladders wearing an apron, with a pricing gun in my hand, counting whisks, escorting customers to the Mighty Mend-it, and explaining the features and benefits of various personal depilitators?

(I don't want a lot of shocked emails; go look up the word, "depilitator", if necessary).

Anyway, the answer is that, while I COULD take Mike up on his offer (IF I could figure out the details), do I really WANT to? Well, hell to the no. I WOULD, if I had to, but I find it interesting that this offer comes on the heels of a well-respected business right here in my own town indicating that they will "definitely" have something for me, soon. So I don't know what to do. I truly wish I could never ring another return of another duvet with another mysterious stain on it (oh, it happens. I'm about tired of pillows being returned with body hair in the packaging!). I truly have had it with people and their bringing back icky used things.

I don't want to give Mike the idea that I'm going to take the job, and him start making plans and adjustments, if indeed I'm going to bail on him after the first of the month. I wouldn't take the position, only to dump it back in their laps and make them start all over. But what if the insurance thing DOESN'T come through? It really sounds like it will, though.

The boon here is that there's, "... no emergency...". I am supposed to, "...see what I can do..." about being able to get there by 7:00 every morning. Frankly, I don't see how that's possible.

But interesting that I've got the offer on the table... stay tuned...

Nice day for a funeral...

2009-01-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

Today I attended the funeral of my next door neighbor, Mr. Lanyon. I never met him; he was already in a care facility when I moved in, here. But, being that the family is now technically my next door neighbor, it was suggested to me that I might attend the funeral and pay my respects to them, which I did.

With the exception of the teenage granddaughter, I was by far the youngest person there. It was interesting to note that for the majority of us there, it was simply a matter of form, standing out there around the seated family. And it was also interesting to me that, despite the fact that there were at least a dozen empty chairs behind the relatives, and some of the eldest attendees were barely upright on their own, none of the tri-pod tribe availed themselves of the extra seating. Bad form, I guess.

In addition to meeting the daughter of the deceased, I was also introduced to several people from the community, who now know who I am and where I live. Which was kind of the point of my going to the funeral in the first place: to establish that I am becoming a part of the community, and taking my part in it.

In fact, I played hookey from work to be there this morning, and I have to say that compared to ringing yet another return of The Man Groomer, or whatever ill-advised Christmas gifts people want rid of, spending a beautiful winter's morning performing a social ritual, exploring amongst the gravestones, and contemplating the meaning of life was a damn site more enjoyable. I need to learn not to wear pumps to the cemetary, but other than that, it wasn't a bad way to spend a morning.

Plus, I got lunch out of it! Heh. :)

It's Coming Together!

2009-01-07T18:27:00.001-08:00

I got this chair for my bedroom. This is really what started it. JT was in the book room watching cartoons. AJ was in the family room watching rubbish. I was talking to a friend on the phone. I was wandering around the house, finding NOWHERE to SIT. The front room was empty. I guess I could have sat at the dining room table, but I didn't think of it. I ended up laying down on my bed, which is not a bad thing, but one likes to have options. I thought, I need someplace to sit in here, and I have GOT to make that front room functional!

I moved this hutch into the dining room; it's part curio cabinet, but it also houses my grandmother's china, so it made more sense to me that it go in the dining room, and it feel right on that wall, to me. Still need to hang the kids' artwork. You can't see the other sunflower, but each of the kids, at different times, brought home a sunflower art piece, so I had them framed similarly. You know that question, "If your house was on fire, what would you grab?" I'd grab these.

This is my new sofa. I was really only looking for a loveseat for this space, but this baby was "slightly damaged", and was a steal! I asked to see the damage; the delivery guys had accidentally slashed the fabric wa-a-y back on the side of that far armrest. Their upholsterer stitched it up like magic; I'd sure never notice it! It's a darn nice sofa, and they charged me less than some of the not-as-nice loveseats! That is the window that I placed these club chairs to view. I love these chairs. These are the ones I dragged from the family room, where they didn't fit right with the sofa.

I also got this coffee table with a set of two end tables. Actually, the budget was blown on seating; the tables are flat-pack assembly-required from Fred's, and cost almost nothing. But they're might sturdy pieces! One of them is going to be pressed into service for a digital tv that I'm going to break down and buy, eventually. If the cable goes out in a catastrophe, I want to be able to get SOME reception. We already had that little ottoman, but it goes with the dark pieces.

Speaking of dark pieces, I got these barrel chairs to replace the giant club chairs that moved into the room above. With this sofa, those brown chairs JUST wouldn't fit right, no matter what I did. But having just the sofa in the family room was ridiculous; there simply wasn't enough seating. And you don't always WANT to sit on the sofa, and if someone's laying down, etc... These chairs have a much smaller profile, but with the ottoman (again, already owned), they are as comfortable as the club chairs. I know, because I tested out the one on the left tonight, watching "Raising Helen". This is a weird-shaped room, and I had trouble figuring out where stuff works. My poor kids would go get the mail, come back, and another room would be different again! But I think I've got it figured out, now!

This. This is the "book room", as JT calls it. There are bean bags. That's about it. I have some plans, if I end up buying this house, to convert it into at least an awesome guest room, but at some point, I may consider making it into a functional studio apartment, and rent it out. But for right now, it's essentially a rumpus room.

I have a table set up in here that "could" be a scrap table, but I haven't used it, yet. If I give up this room to convert it, I think I can get my scrapping stuff into the whatever-the-room-is-where-my-desk-and-breakfast-table-are. People would just have to eat their Cheerios at the dining room table. Or in front of the tv, which is more likely, if we're being honest!

A very b-b-blustery day!

2009-01-07T08:49:00.000-08:00

It's the perfect day today to sit in the warm house and listen to the wind rage outside, and watch the dark clouds lumber by!

So here's what it really looks like, around here. You can see that some of the trees are green year-round, the pine-ish ones, but there are lot of trees that lose their leaves, too. Mine are all the balding kind, but they looked amazing during the fall. I can't wait to see them in spring and summer!

I even rearranged some furniture so that I can sit in my favorite chair and watch the sky out the front window. It's fun to watch the squirrels scurrying around, trying to beat some internal time-clock they've got going on.

Speaking of furniture, it was an interesting thing, what happened yesterday.

I had just come to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with taking a sabbatical from worrying about stuff, at least until the school year is out in May. That's when I have to decide if I'm going to buy this house or not, but in the meantime, I really can just relax and see what's what. We have a snug house, food on the table, nice schools, and time to adjust to it all.

One of the things that I felt relieved about, too, was that I found out that I can keep my COBRA through my ex-husband's new insurance. With that, and realizing that there is no reason to panic right now, I was breathing easier.

Coincidentally, yesterday I went to the bank to have my CA accounts transferred here, and I found I'd made a certain amount of interest. I decided that the front room being empty and unused bugged me, so I took that little bit of interest, and went to the furniture store to see what I could do with it. I actually did very well for my money, and found several things that this house needed. I came home and started rearranging rooms, feeling more and more comfortable with how the place is shaping up. I was looking forward to the next couple months, just puttering around and tweaking stuff until it feels right...

...when the phone rang. It was my friend, with the great news that the insurance job, evidently, WILL be a reality around the end of the month. Isn't it funny that the DAY after I decided to let go of worrying for a while, the source of worry is alleviated for me?

There are a few things to figure out. JT will need after school care, so I have to call around the places near his school and find one that picks them up. I'lll need an office wardrobe, but that's not too difficult. I'm a little concerned about AJ coming home to an empty house every day, so I hope to find something for her to do. I may ask the neighbor lady, a single older gal, if she needs anything done around her house. She could "hire" AJ to putter around her house, but I'd be providing the paycheck. Neighbor gets free puttering, AJ is kept occupied after school and makes some money.

It will take some getting used to, being in an office all day every day again; I haven't done that since about 1989. I'm very much hoping and praying that I prove myself able to do the job. So there are some details to work on, but all in all, this is a very good sign!

2009-01-06T14:52:00.000-08:00

My bestest friend here made a "Gee-Whiz" follow-up call to a friend of his, who had interviewed me a little over 2 months ago for a job in her insurance office. I'd checked back twice, but never heard anything too promising. I've been applying other places in the meantime, with no results, and I was starting to feel a little desperate.

The other day, we got to talking about it, my friend and I, and we decided that there's nothing wrong with taking a breather. A LOT has happened in this past year, of course. We looked at my situation and realized that there is NO wolf at my door, and I have time to let the dust settle. So I determined to just relax and go with the flow for a while.

BUT, just to be on the proactive side, a friendly "How are you?" call was made, not specifically on my behalf, but my name was, y'know...mentioned casually. "Are you still planning on putting that new program in place? Will you still be looking for extra help with that, or no?"

The upshot of it is that, according to what we understand, that the insurance office WILL be needing me, sometime after the end of this month. Full-time, benefits, 9-5 M-F, no weekends.

God is good!

2009-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

I love Happy Bunny! Except I don't think it's cute what I did this morning!

I set the alarm in plenty of time to get MYSELF to WORK, but forgot that JT had school (the high school is out today). We scrambled to get ready and get out the door, no coffee, JT didn't brush his hair, nothing. Did I mention his school is 10 miles away? I'd still have to walk him to the office and sign him in.

We got all the way there, and... you guessed it.

No school for him, either!

WHY DIDN'T I CHECK?!? JT said, "I'm sorry," as though it were his fault.

"No, honey, this is Mommy's fault," I told him, as I headed BACK toward the house.

I called work and told them what happened. Unfortunately, another gal called out this morning, too, or they probably would have told me to just stay home. I came home, got JT some breakfast, poured a cup of the coffee I was lacking (which I'm enjoying now), and called work and told them I'd be there in an hour. I'll stay late to make up for it.

Happy Monday. Jeez.

What's your best Monday story? You know--when things just DON'T go right? I want to hear them!

Somethin' To Do

2008-12-31T12:25:00.000-08:00

1. What's your full name? Laurel Ann (last name omitted because that'd be really stupid to put on the internet)

2. Who are you named after? No one. My mother wanted to name me LauraLynn, but my dad didn't like that, so I got Laurel Ann.

3. What characteristics should your wife have? Well, for me to HAVE a wife, I'd have to be a lesbian. And, um... I'm not.

4. Do you believe in love at first sight? In a way, yes.

5. Could you imagine a life without children? Well, I've imagined life AFTER children!

6. Who's the baby in the family when it comes to getting sick? My daughter. Hands down.

7. What did you want to grow up to be when you were a child? A stunt woman.

8. What would be the worst thing that could happen to you? Why tempt fate?!?

9. What is your profession? I don't want to talk about it.

10. Are you an organized person? Not at much as I should be.

11. If you could go anywhere for vacation where would it be? The key word here is "anywhere"!

12. If you could live anywhere, where would you live? I used to know the answer to that.

13. What is your new years resolution for 2009? That it will be better than 2008.

14. When are you most likely to lie? I'm a terrible liar. I tend to tell TOO much truth!

15. Whats your biggest fear? Having to pick just one.

16. Which characteristic do you despise in other people? Inconsistency.

17. What's your worst feature? My weight.

18. If you could change something about yourself, what would it be? I'd be more compassionate, maybe. But who cares?!?

19. What do you think about Barack Obama? I think the well-meaning American people have shot themselves in the foot.

20. How do you want to die? Uh... with a one-way ticket.

21. Which talent do you wish to have? I wish I had musical ability.

22. What is your most precious possession? Hmmn... some of my kids' artwork, some things that loved ones have given me--you know, irreplacable stuff.

23. Who are your favorite writers? I have lots, but Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series.

24. What is your favorite book? See previous answer, but there are lots more!

25. For what do you feel sadness? For missed opportunities and wasted chances.

26. Which living person do you admire? Barbara Bush. Think of the crap she has to hear about her family.

27. Which living person do you mostly detest? I don't like to think I detest anyone. But Jamie Lee Curtis kinda pisses me off, inexplicably.

Oh, and vegetarians who tell people how many people could eat from the resources required for the piece of cow I'm about to bite into.

If God had not meant for people to eat animals, He wouldn't have made them so delicious!

28. What is your favorite quote? "An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." --G.K.Chesterton

29. What do you do to help the environment? Um... I... I plead the 5th.

30. Why did you do this survey? Eh. Somethin' to do!

Sometimes...

2008-12-29T18:43:00.001-08:00

When I was 19, I went on my first church Women's Retreat. Generally you were considered old enough after high school, and I was invited on the next one that came up after I graduated. It was sort of a right of passage. It was a "mini" retreat, held at the home of our pastor and his lovely wife, Sonja, who is still one of my favorite people.

The speaker that weekend was Barbie R., a member of our church. I don't remember what exactly qualified her to be a retreat speaker (teens don't pay attention to that kind of thing), but she was a neat lady who clearly loved the Lord.

I don't remember much from that weekend. I don't recall the theme, or most of the lessons, even. But I do remember one thing Barbie said, which has stuck with me my whole adult life. I have found it applicable in my life many times, especially this past year or so.

She told a story of when she was trying to get her business off the ground. She was working from home, and finding that a challenge. Her neighbor came over every morning, after the school bus picked up, for a half an hour or so, and they had coffee and talked about their kids and various other concerns. They might pray together, or not, as they felt. But it was a time of restoration and getting ready to face the day. One day, the conversation was lively, and when Barbie looked at the clock, she was surprised to see that nearly 2 hours had passed.

She excused herself to her friend, and settled down to some work that she had really meant to get done much earlier, but she was stuck, somehow, and a little frustrated. She promised herself she would finish before the kids got home. No too long after she began, though, there came a knock at the door. It was another neighbor, also a friend, who was dressed in exercise clothes.

"Hi," the friend greeted. "I have the morning off. I'm going for a walk, it's such a nice day, and we haven't been able to talk in ages. I was hoping you'd come walking with me!"

Barbie stood and looked at her friend, whom she really HAD missed for the last few weeks, with their respective work schedules. It WAS a nice day, and she loved to go walking, especially with a cheerful friend. It was very tempting! And walking is good for you, right?

But the Lord nudged her, and she sensed Him say, "Barbie. You know that I love you and I want what is best for you. Sometimes... sometimes you have to give up what is good... for what is best."

Sometimes you have to give up what is good for what is best.

I remember little else that Barbie said that weekend. But I remember those words so clearly, and how they impacted me, and have stuck with me all these years.

These are not easy words to hear.

They are even harder words to live by.

I is kollege edjicated.

2008-12-29T13:07:00.000-08:00

Multi-million dollar company.

Can't spell "January".

IlovethisstoreIlovemyjobIlovethisstoreIlovemyjobIlovethisstoreIlovemyjobIlovethisstoreIlovemyjob...

Underwhelmed

2008-12-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

So, um, yeah. This year just wasn't one of those, "Wow! Cool!" Christmases. The boy's list was obscure; I did the best I could with what he gave me. But I think he was a little underwhelmed.

Oh, well. I'm off to pick them up. I'm leaving a little early because this last trip, I noticed a FIREWORKS store--and ENORMOUS fireworks store--RIGHT on the way back from their dad's. Fireworks are legal, here, which give this California girl goosebumps. Californians haven't been able to legally light their own fireworks for YEARS.

I'm thinkin' some New Year's Eve action, yes I am! :)

(*evil laugh*)

Coffee at 9:00 pm

2008-12-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

I had to make a cup of coffee just before 9:00, because there was NO WAY I was going to be able to stay awake long enough to... um... you know... SEE Santa and say hello. He may deliver the toys, but somebody has to SET THEM UP and put the batteries in, and all, of course.

Mercifully, thankfully, blissfully, I was off work today. JT and I (AJ opted out) got to go to the candlelight worship service at church, which was beautiful. It was a communion service, and I felt blessed that my first communion at my new church home was on the eve of Christ's birth. That was very special. Growing up in the Church of the Nazarene, but having been expatriated amongst the Friends for so long, I'd forgotten what it's like to kneel at an altar. Much of the Society of Friends' doctrine is based on the fact that we don't NEED the liturgy, and the ceremony, and the representations...

...but I missed them! It felt comfortable to kneel at that rail; I felt right at home. I LIKE ceremony and liturgy!

So there. :)

And now, the ceremony of trying to set up what Santa's brought without WAKING the boy! Good luck to all of Santa's helping parents, tonight!

My one Christmas wish...

2008-12-24T07:46:00.001-08:00

Ohhhhh, how I WISH for a White Elephant gift exchange!!!!!

2008-12-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

The Census Bureau examiner left me a voice mail today that I passed the test. That was all he said; now I go into a hiring pool, and may or may not get a call between January and May. But I didn't see any other applicants for precints in my zip code, so we'll see what happens. I'm looking forward to doing this, if I get hired. I think it will prove very interesting!

In other news, I decided for my birthday to have my paternal grandmother's wedding band refinished for myself. It already fit my right ring finger just right, but I wanted to add some stones to it. My grandfather had a diamond put in my grandmother's band, one for each of their children, as she had them: Bobby, Jack, Jerry, Bill, and Hoyt (my dad). I also had a couple pieces from my mom that didn't suit me the way they were, and the stones were very similar sized to the diamonds in my grandmother's band.

When I counted them up, I figured out that I had enough stones to number one for each of my grandmother's grandchildren and great grandchildren, so far, down to my son. The jeweler was very careful to preserve the authenticity of the period of the ring, which is from the 1920's. Here it is:

Not bad, huh? :)

...and there appeared in the East...

2008-12-19T09:08:00.001-08:00

Last night I had to drive into Macon to take the screening test for the Census Bureau. Macon is pretty much like the Anaheim/Santa Ana area of California, only without the amusement park or sports franchises. Oh, and picture Anaheim with NO lighted street signs. Yeah. If you don't already KNOW what street is yours, if you can see it at all, you're gonna pass it before you can turn!

So I was making a fair job of getting lost in a strange city, far from home, at night. And it wasn't like I was trying to find the MALL for heaven's sake! I was trying to take a test for a JOB. We were supposed to arrive at 5:45 for 6:00 testing. At 5:58, I was about to give up, because I had ZERO idea where I was (Mapquest can only help so much--when NOTHING is labeled, a map doesn't do much good!). But lo, and behold, I gave up and made a turn to try to find I16 back toward home, when I SAW a sign for the street I needed. I looked behind me. NOPE. It was NOT labeled in the direction I CAME, but sure, it was labeled from THIS direction. Isn't that nice.

But anyway, I made it to the testing center in one piece, and only a minute or two after 6:00. There were still people getting signed in, so I was fine. I sat down in the last available chair, across from a very nice man in his 60's. We were talking about applying for these jobs, and he said, "I worked for the government for 35 years. It's too bad what I thought was going to be enough for retirement...isn't. I have to do odd part-time jobs to keep afloat." I agreed that things are rough all over.

The testing began, and it wasn't easy. It wasn't rocket science, but it took a fair amount of cognitive skills to decipher what the questions were asking. Which was the point of the test. You had to assimilate and apply various bits of information from and to charts and graphs and tables. There was also basic math and clerical skills' evaluations. The test was 28 questions in 30 minutes. Halfway through, the examiner said, "15 minutes left,". The man across from me flipped through the rest of his test, closed it, tapped it together, and stood up. I thought, "Man, that old guy is FAST!"

But he carried the folder to the examiner, handed it to him, and said, "Never mind mine," and he walked out of the room. I was sooooo sad about that. He only had to get TEN right to pass! I was bummed he didn't stick it out; I think he would have done fine at the job. I struggled for a minute to get back into my own test.

I was still the first person finished. Interesting commentary on the area, here--I was one of only 4 European-Americans (and we lost my table-buddy!) out of 30 applicants. Of the 4, I was the only woman. I was also the only applicant from Fort Valley, and they try to match people to their neighborhoods and demographics. If you do well on the test, you can be made a team leader over other enumerators. I'm fairly certain I scored 100% on the test, or close to it.

So if I'm lucky, I'll get hired for the Census beginning in Jan or Feb. I think this would be a cool experience, especially because I'd be getting to know ALL my closest neighbors! I'm hoping to hear something by 12/31...

Cross your fingers...

2008-12-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

I got a job lead today for a position with the 2010 Census Bureau. They need workers from now until the end of that year. It's part time, but it pays somewhat more than BBBY does, and it would be working locally, and with adjustable times of day, probably. You have to be able to talk to people when they're home, so I may even be able to keep working several mornings at the store and maintain that pay, as well.

If I got really lucky, it could provide leads to a full-time gig; we'll see. But first I have to go take a screening exam tonight. I have to prove I can speak, read, and write proficiently in English, and I think some basic math skills. I think I can handle that. :)

Speaking of which...should go look at the practice test, huh?...

Cryptically speaking...

2008-12-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I can't speak as plainly as I'd like to, but I can't right now. I'm really trying hard to find the silver lining in a particular situation, here. It's eluding me, entirely. Please, if you're the praying type, please pray that there is some clarification, or some direction, or some... what's the word... medication? No. :)

Amelioration? Correction? Retraction? Alleviation? Mitigation? Consolation?

Something like that. What's that Stones song? "You can't always get what you want. But if you try, sometimes, well you just might find you get what you need."

I'll take either one. Because I think they're one and the same.

Ohhhhhh, no you don't!

2008-12-13T08:26:00.001-08:00

This morning I got two texts just after I got up. One was from Bob. Running late; wouldn't be here until noon.

Really? I texted back that that was fine--but I did say that I have plans and would be leaving at 1:00; if he ran later than that, the kids would just wait for him here, and I'd make sure AJ had a key to lock up. I am not going to bend my life around for his tardiness.

The second text was from AJ, saying she really had fun with her girlfriend last night, and could she please stay longer today? She brought up that I had asked her to tell me what would help her adjust and all, and she said that spending the day with her friend would help.

I texted back that her dad was driving 3 hours to see her today, and she needed to be here. She responded that he could just see JT, that she really wanted to stay.

Wait just a cotton-pickin' minute! Did she really think that IIIII was going to BROKER her contact with her dad? That IIIII would give her PERMISSION to flake on him?!? "Oh, okay, honey. You can ignore your dad's visit because you're having fun with your friend. No problem. I'll let him know." I don't THINK so! I texted her back one more time that this was my last text about this, that she needed to call HER DAD and talk about it with him, NOT ME. I told her that I was NOT going to be a go-between.

I guess she did call him and try to tell him she wanted to stay with her friend. But HAH! He's got his DAD and HIS wife driving up from FLORIDA to see him and the kids today. Hah and double hah! She texted me that, "...so I guess I'll go see them..."

As though she was making some BIG concession to it. I texted Bob and told him he can't let her think that she gets to decide this kind of stuff. She will walk all over both of us if we let her. I can't help it, though, if HE lets her; I can only make suggestions.

Supposedly, the family is bringing her home. I hammered the point several times that she needs to be here by noon. We'll see if that happens. We'll also see if Bob shows up by noon, as promised. If neither of them are here by 1:00, I will go on with my plans and take JT with me. If either of them wants me, they have my cell phone number. This is a compact place; I can meet either of them at the house in a matter of 5 minutes.

Let them wait for me; I'm not hanging around at the mercy of other people who can't be on time.

Sorry for the bitterness; I'm just pissy today.

A Sleepover

2008-12-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight the girl child is going to sleep over at a girlfriend's house for the first time since we've been here. I'm glad she's making friends. I think the boy child and I will watch The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe on tv. Tomorrow the kids' dad will be here, and will take them...where ever all day. I told him I have plans from after lunch until after dinner, so I wouldn't be at the house. The first time he came, back in Nov, he picked them up at 3:00, after not having seen them for two weeks. I figured he'd have PLANNED something for them all together for the evening, so I made plans of my own. I was sitting down to dinner when my cell rang, and he said, "We're back. Where are you?"

"Back where?!?" I asked.

"Back at your place. We don't have anything to do."

I said, "Well, I'm sitting down to dinner."

"We already ate."

"How nice for you, but I haven't, as I said."

"What should we do, then?"

"I don't know, Bob. They're your kids, too. Figure something out."

"I don't have any ideas. There's nothing to do here."

"How about taking them to Burger King. JT can play on the playground, and you can talk to AJ."

"Okay."

But could I then sit there and leisurely enjoy my dinner? Not really.

So this time, I made sure he knows I have made plans for myself, and he's going to have to figure out how the three of them will entertain themselves together for about 8 hours. Yeah--8 hours straight. Imagine that.

And this time, I'm not giving hints.

P.S. I loved this picture; it's from PW.

Interiors by Chaos

2008-12-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

(On the edit screen, these pics are perfect; I'm not sure why they're so dark on here. Sorry)

Okay, I really wanted to get these rooms cleaned up before I posted them, but we're still kind of in move-in mode, and also two of the rooms don't have much in the way of furniture. Because the "bookroom", as JT calls it, has all the built-in shelves, I put the bookcases that I brought in the front living room. The Christmas tree went in the front room, of course, to show out the window. I really only had furniture for the family room, so there's no seating in the other two areas, yet. You'll just have to excuse the disarray for now. We're trying...

The bookroom also has a full corner of built in shelves, counter, and cabinets, which sca-reamed "scrapbook area" to me as soon as I saw it. I put a big work table in front of the corner to create a U-shaped station. It's all a disaster area right now, but eventually, I'll set it all up for scrapping. The second tv is in here, but the kids just kind of loll on the floor, since we have no furniture in there. I'm trying to find some bean bag chairs, which would be perfect, but so far, I'm not having any luck finding any. This room is also nice and big for playing light sabers, turning somersaults, etc...
The room where you see my desk is what the owner called the "breakfast room". It's what used to be the back porch before being enclosed when the bookroom was added on. The window into the kitchen used to be the outside kitchen window. At first I had both tables in here and the desk in the bookroom, thinking this could be for scrapping, but I wanted to use the cabinets in the other room. So this room doubles as the desk area, with the other work table being the homework station and casual eating area.

My goal is for each area to be as useful as possible.

Habitat and...

2008-12-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

Here are some
shots of the
inside of the
house. We have the kitchen, which is pretty 50's looking, although with fairly nice appliances.

The bathroom shown is the master bath; this MUST be where they came up with the phrase, "There isn't room to even swing a cat in here!" It is very, very tiny, and I don't know what the builder thought the lady of the house would do if she wanted to take a bath. But, my mom's house in CA was the same way: tub in the secondary bathroom only. Also, the tile colors in both the bathrooms are colors which ONLY existed in the 1950's. But they "go" with the house.

The paneled room you see is what we call the family room. It's behind the living/entry room. It lends itself very well to the leather chairs and iron lamps; it's a warm room, both in appearance and temperature-wise. If I end up buying this house, I think that paneling will be painted out in cream...

You also see the formal dining room, something which I have NEVER had. I wouldn't have necessarily required one; so many people say they rarely use their dining rooms, but I think it is nice to HAVE a room where everyone can sit and just eat and be together without television or whatever. Same goes for the formal living room, which I have not shown you, yet. This house has both the living room and dining room, THEN the family room AND a bonus room. I'll show you those later...

Environment

2008-12-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

Here are several shots of the outside of the house and the yard. Note that most people here have carports, not garages; JT keeps asking when we're going to have the door put on the "garage". "It would keep the car warm, Mama!" It DOES get cold, here; we've had numerous freezing nights. But the autumn days are beautiful, bright, and clear! The main title photo is another shot of my front yard; the trees are still lovely, although losing leaves fast!

I kept seeing big piles of leaves at the corner of everyone's lots. I thought, "Aren't those just going to blow all around and make a mess again?" But the city sends around this machine with a big claw-arm on it. It reminds me of those games where you try to grab the stuffed animal out of the machine. This thing scoops up all the leaves and takes them... away... somewhere. Tax dollars at work! AND! Contrary to Orange County, if you happen to have more bags of trash than will fit in your can on a given day, or in my case, a LARGE pile of flattened cardboard from moving, or some other something that can't go in the can, you can put it NEXT to the can, and the trash guys WILL PICK IT UP FOR YOU!!

I can't begin to imagine the look of disbelief on my face when I was told this! "It's going to take me WEEKS to backlog all this trash and stuff so it will fit in the can a week at a time," I bemoaned.

"Oh, no," my friend said. "Just pile it all up out there with the can, and they'll pick it all up for you."

"You're kidding me," I said. "Pies, leaf-collection, and full-service sanitation engineers?"

"No, of course I'm not kidding. Welcome to a small town in the South."

I guess we're in!

2008-12-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

When we started attending this church, the kids were in the middle of practicing their Christmas play. Not wanting JT to feel left out, they made him a sheep. A non-speaking sheep. Yes, I know normally ALL sheep are non-speaking, but in the PLAY, all the animals talk. But there are more kids than speaking parts, so the youngest kids just sit there and look...sheepish.

Wednesday at rehearsal, I had to run an errand, so I told JT I'd be right back. The kids' director, whom I had not met, officially, said, "Where are you goin'?"

Thinking perhaps it was not allowed for the new kid to be left there, or something, I said carefully, "Um... I have to go swap cars with someone..." (long story--another day).

"Can you take these two boys home? They're not in the program, and they're bored to death sitting around here."

Now I ask you. Where else but a small town would you send two children off with some woman you'd never met? "Where do you live?" she asked. I told her. "Oh! You'll go right past it! Do you mind?"

I figured, what the heck. "Um. Sure." I said.

So two boys who didn't know me from Adam's rib got into (not even) my car, and I took them home, which was indeed right on my way. Actually, nothing here is more than about a mile or so from anything else; it's a compact little place. But I assume this means we're accepted into the collective, if people will just give me their children. (The director called the mom and asked her, by the way--please do not send card and letters!).

This morning at dress rehearsal, one of the ladies looked around and said, "We need another adult to prompt the goats. Maybe Miss Laurel would be in charge of the goats?" That goatherd-yodel song went through my head. "Sure. I'll prompt the goats." I said.

That, and the parade. The next door neighbors, whose children are in the church's kids' program, the mom said to me on Wednesday, "Will he be on the float?"

"Float?" I asked.

"The Christmas parade is Saturday afternoon. The kids are going to be on a float in their animal costumes. Will JT want to ride on the float?"

"I can't imagine he wouldn't want to!" I said. "I'll have him there."

When we got to the church, I was asked, "Will you ride on the float, or do you want to walk beside it and hand out candy?"

"Um..." I hadn't really considered either one. "I...I guess I'll walk along."

Which I did.

The annual Fort Valley Christmas parade was this evening, and the church had a float made to look like a stable, with all the kids riding on it in their animal costumes.

By the way...

2008-12-05T13:47:00.001-08:00

I know this picture sucks. It's of my new house, but it's actually a digital pic of a regular pic. I didn't have my digital camera on my first trip out here, so I took regular film shots. I haven't had a chance to take any digital pics, yet, but I will, soon, and show you all the house. Also, it would be nice if we got all the moving junk put away, first! :)

Welcome!

2008-12-05T13:23:00.001-08:00

Since so much has happened this past year or so, and the updates by individual email were getting ponderous, I thought I'd go ahead and set up a public blogspot so my friends and family can keep up with what's going on as this girl from Orange County transplants to Peach County. I hope to keep things entertaining; welcome, and come back often!

Being Orange in Peach County

Yeah, I know.

Ahhh, the Rites of Spring!

Facebook Atrophy

It's raining, it's pouring...

Feeling Fallish.

Look Mom! No Training Wheels!

We're In, Baby!

One...more...*gasp*...week...

Almost Home

Deal, or No Deal?

Of Course...

Crunching the Numbers...

Back Country, Baby!

Spring has sprung.

Yeah, Been Awhile...

Take away my Mommy Badge...

Imagine that.

Oh, please.

God hanged the sun...

Power in the Blood

Yeah. They're white. Pretty! But Pink? No.

"The Pinkest Party On Earth!"

I just...

'Nuf Said.

"Every Ten Years"

Don't Be Fooled.

Timing is everything.

Regarding Tornadoes

You'd never know...

Oh, and...

It's Good To Be The Prince.

Text Bane

Bad Idea, Boys.

Bait...

Chamber of Commerce

Moving Furniture...Again.

No-o-t Fu-u-nny!

Gotta hand it to 'em!

One Word.

But wait, there's more!

ABC's

A Must See!

Okay, I'll bite...

Informative afternoon

20 Degrees

By the way...

Okay, I'll bite...2008 In Review:

I'm exhausted.

Fifteen bucks...

Opelika

You don't say...

Nice day for a funeral...

It's Coming Together!

A very b-b-blustery day!

Somethin' To Do

Sometimes...

I is kollege edjicated.

Underwhelmed

Coffee at 9:00 pm

My one Christmas wish...

...and there appeared in the East...

Cross your fingers...

Cryptically speaking...

Ohhhhhh, no you don't!

A Sleepover

Interiors by Chaos

Habitat and...

Environment

I guess we're in!

By the way...

Welcome!

One...more...gasp...week...